NCI PROPOSAL ? ABSTRACT 2019 OSA Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging and Drug Delivery; and Bio-Optics: Design and Application The 2019 OSA Biophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences 15-17 April 2019, Tucson, AZ, consists of five topical meetings. Two of these meetings, Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging and Drug Delivery (OMP); and Bio-Optics: Design and Application (BODA) provide broad exposure to a very active multidisciplinary field in biophotonics and optics in life sciences focused on cancer research with direct medical applications. The interdisciplinary nature of the co-located meetings will provide cross-fertilization of concepts and techniques between fields with the resulting synergies obtained from such interactions. This proposal is to provide registration and travel support for students, early career professionals, and underrepresented speakers that will present on cancer related topic areas within the two topical meetings. These meetings will discuss technological solutions to medical challenges and medical applications and will cover a diversity of cutting-edge research and innovative new tools and techniques that are directly applied to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer. OMP will focus on the convergence in these rapidly evolving areas, spanning from basic biology to clinical diagnostics and therapeutic applications, and BODA address all aspects of development and applications of biomedical optical technologies for research and clinical applications. In addition, by bringing together an international group of leading engineers, optical and medical scientists, and physicians, as well as junior researchers and graduate students, these meetings will help to enhance the training of a wide group of interdisciplinary researchers, augmenting standard academic training for graduate students and presenting opportunities for career advancement, especially for students and early career professionals. The general purpose of this congress is to create an inclusive, open forum for the presentation of high-quality scientific research through plenary and technical sessions, short courses, panels, networking and special events. This method of face-to-face information sharing allows researchers to learn what others in their field and related disciplines are doing and to efficiently learn about new research, tools, and techniques that might be relevant to their work. It allows conversations with colleagues from different institutions around the world and engenders far reaching scientific collaborations ? both domestic and international. Ultimately this meeting will advance knowledge in the field of biomedical optics and biophotonics and propel technological development forward.